


Curators of the Glade

by SpyroForLife



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redemption, Regret, Statue Bill Cipher, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-10-29 19:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10860315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpyroForLife/pseuds/SpyroForLife
Summary: Deep in the woods of Oregon, not too far from a small town known as Gravity Falls, lies an unremarkable glade. The only thing that set it apart from countless others was the strange statue sitting within it.





	1. Awakened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this Bill Cipher redemption fanfic and decided to go for it. There will be no focus on romance, this is focused mainly on Bill and his development. I hope you enjoy.

Deep in the woods of Oregon, not too far from a small town known as Gravity Falls, lies an unremarkable glade. It's small, a mere clearing among the trees, filled with grass and the occasional flower. The only thing that set it apart from countless others was the strange statue sitting within it. The locals usually refused to acknowledge it, yet exist it did. It was buried partway in the ground but its form was clear. A triangular being, one arm sticking out with its palm open, as though inviting one to take its hand. There was usually a bird’s nest within the grasp of its fingers. The being had a large, staring eye that seemed to hold untold secrets, and it wore what seemed to be a top hat on its upper point, the brim of which also usually had at least one bird nesting on it.

The statue couldn’t be very old, and the stone it was made of was unrecognizable, but it was nonetheless covered in moss, grass growing up around it, and it had accrued cracks and water stains.

A few residents of Gravity Falls would admit, after much prodding and perhaps bribery, that the statue may be leftover from something that happened last summer… But best not say anything more. And you certainly shouldn’t visit it, or take its hand.

So it sat, throughout an entire fall, winter, and spring, with no one going near it and the seasons taking their toll on it.

Until summer came around again, and finally something was done.

“We’re doing what?” Dipper asked his great uncle incredulously.

Ford Pines sighed, adjusting his glasses. He looked between Dipper and his twin Mabel, both of whom were staring at him, and said, “We’re checking on Bill’s statue. When we destroyed him, his physical body was left behind in reality. We need to make sure he can’t use it as a medium to return through. And depending on what I find, we may need to start guarding it, just to make sure. I would like you to come with me so I’m not alone with him, should the worst happen.”

Mabel and Dipper exchanged glances, then nodded. They were a little older than last summer of course, stronger and more confident in themselves. Mabel took her grappling hook, and Dipper took a miniature quantum destabilizer while Ford took its larger predecessor. They weren’t anticipating for Bill to still be alive, but they had to be prepared.

Once ready, they headed out into the woods.

 

Returning to awareness was like dragging oneself out of a deep pool filled with pudding. Or maybe something even more sticky and annoying. Molasses, perhaps. And glue.

Bill Cipher woke up slowly, to find himself utterly immobilized. He couldn’t move an inch. Not even a nanometer. Anxiety welled up in his core, what was happening, where was he? His memories were hazy, and he forced himself to think. Last thing he remembered was… Was being trapped among blue flames. Pleading to be spared. As a lone human, the one who had tricked him, punched him hard and everything had shattered and gone dark.

How long ago was that? Where was he now? He wasn’t dead but what was this limbo he was in?

After a few minutes, during which he couldn’t even move during his panic, his vision cleared. Darkness turned into a blurry image of trees and grass, which then sharpened until he could make out details. He wanted to blink but couldn’t. So he stared straight ahead, watching as grass swayed in the breeze, as birds flitted between the trees and squirrels chased each other.

He tried to speak and couldn’t. Still couldn’t move, or look anywhere else. Though he supposed his field of vision was wide enough. He realized he could see his own arm stretched out. It was gray as stone. Wait… It was stone. He tried to flex his fingers. Nothing. A mess of twigs sat in it. Was that a bird nest?

Bill growled silently. He remembered now that he had called for Axolotl’s help as he fell apart. _My time has come to burn, I invoke the ancient power that I may return!_ So the “ancient power” had listened to him. But… what sort of life had it returned him to? He was frozen as a statue! Aware but unable to move or talk! Was this its idea of a joke?

 _Axolotl,_ he called with thought. _This is real funny but I think I’ve had enough. Can you free me?_

There was no answer. He shouted more loudly, but there was no one to heed his thoughts. Could Axolotl even hear him? Or was the frilly know-it-all ignoring him and letting him suffer?

Bill tuned back in to his surroundings. He could hear, at least. He could hear birds chirping. Insects droned around him. The squirrels he saw chasing each other around a tree made little scrabbling noises with their claws.

He sighed internally. He’ll figure this out. There had to be something he wasn’t getting.

Minutes trickled by. He kept to his thoughts, reflecting on everything that had led him to this. As hard as it was to admit, his arrogance had been his downfall. He hadn’t thought humans would be able to stop him. But here he was.

He was musing about how he could have prevented this when he heard something quite different from the sounds of nature. Voices. Human voices, in English, approaching from somewhere nearby. He strained to listen.

“ It’s around here somewhere, I know. Keep your eyes peeled, kids.”

A bolt of surprise went through Bill. He would recognize that voice anywhere. Stanford Pines, the man who had indirectly allowed him to escape into reality and bring on Weirdmageddon. He admired his intellect but found him insufferable after refusing to help him.

The voice that responded was also familiar. “Are you sure this is the right way? I feel like we’ve been through here already.”

That was Mabel. Shooting Star, as Bill nicknamed her. He remembered vividly when she had sprayed him in the eye with spray paint. Yet he never could bring himself to dislike her. She was fun, reminding him of himself. Though less chaotic, of course.

“No we haven’t,” a third person said. “We definitely haven’t passed this collection of three rocks and a log.”

Bill would have laughed if he could. Mason, or Dipper as he called himself, was also there. Bill called him Pine Tree. He was like a younger Ford, so bright and curious, and fiercely protective of his family and friends. Bill supposed he liked him too, though after Dipper’s hand in defeating him, he was fairly bitter toward him at the moment.

So three members of the Pines family were walking toward him. What were they up to?

After a few moments, he heard Mabel exclaim, “Look, there he is!”

Then they emerged from the trees, right in front of Bill. He stared at them, and they stared back, Ford cautiously holding his arms out in front of the kids.

Bill wanted so badly to move. To show that he still had strength, was still alive, could still hurt them. But he couldn’t. None of his power seemed to work.

Seconds passed, then Ford said, “Well, it’s still just a statue. Come on.” He walked closer, the kids following.

Bill had already figured out that it was summer, and based on how the twins were slightly taller, knew that it must have been nearly a year since Weirdmageddon. So he hasn’t woken up until now? Why? Has he needed this much time to recover, maybe?

When they were about a foot away, they stopped. Ford knelt down and took a device out of his pocket, aiming it at Bill. He watched all this. Not like he had a choice in the matter.

Ford watched a screen, then said, “I really can’t tell if he’s in this or not. It’s unlikely, but… He could be. This is his physical form after all. Stan said that he kinda shattered when he punched him, but who knows where his energy could have gone. It could have been knocked clean of his mind and returned here.”

Bill considered that. It seemed reasonable, he did use this physical form as a sort of tether as he had gone into Stan’s mind. Just to make a quick escape back out. But that hadn’t exactly worked to his favor.

Ford straightened. “Since I can’t tell, we’ll just treat it as if he could possibly come back. So we’re going to come by at least once a week just to check on him, make sure he hasn’t moved or anything. Dipper, help me chronicle all the cracks in the statue. Mabel, uh… I don’t know, clean him off a bit so we can look for any imperfections in the stone.”

Dipper got out a notebook, and Mabel skipped over to Bill’s arm. He focused on her, wondering if she was brave enough to touch him. Turns out she was, hand grasping his wrist as she leaned up to look into the bird nest in his hand. He could sense that she was touching him, but it was dulled. He couldn’t feel her warmth or anything, just a faint sense that her hand was on him.

After ensuring there were no eggs in it, Mabel brushed the nest away, wiping his hand clean. She then began using the side of her hand to scrub moss off him, working down to his body.

Dipper and Ford began checking him over for cracks, making a note of all of them. Bill found it all very amusing. Eventually he was going to get out of here and they won’t be able to stop him.

Mabel leaned close, peering into his eye before saying, “Sorry if this hurts,” before scraping moss off it.

It didn’t hurt, but Bill found it cute that she said that.

“You don’t need to apologize to that monster,” Dipper said.

That was uncalled for. Bill wanted to strike him.

“I feel bad for him,” Mabel said. “If he is in there, he’s stuck, can’t move at all. Poor guy.”

She really was too kind. Bill didn’t need her pity.

“He deserves it,” Dipper replied bluntly. “I mean, he did turn a ton of people into statues himself before, remember? This is hilarious, honestly.”

It’s not like they were conscious, Bill thought to himself. Probably. Considering that Ford was still mid sentence when he unfroze him, they had no awareness at all. Not like this, where he was stuck completely conscious yet unable to move. This was far worse. Though Pine Tree had a point. It was a cruel irony, and had it happened to someone else, Bill would find it hilarious.

“I know,” Mabel said, walking around behind Bill to keep cleaning him off. “Maybe he isn’t even conscious. This could just be a statue.”

“It likely is,” Ford said. “But I don’t want to take any chances.” He looked closely at Bill himself. “If you are in there, I want you to know that this is the best kind of imprisonment for you. Maybe you’ll use it to think about how horrible you were, and realize you need to change.”

Like that was going to happen. Bill told himself that he regretted nothing. Even as a hint of misery clutched at his core.

Ford continued his documentation, and none of them talked much. When they were done, they stepped back.

“Alright,” Ford said. “We can check on him again next week. Dipper, Mabel, think you could find your way out here again?”

“No problem,” Dipper replied.

“Yeah, should be able to,” Mabel agreed.

“Good. Well, nothing else to do here. Let’s get going.”

They walked away. Bill was fine to see them go. Annoying bunch of humans. He wouldn’t miss them. But once they were out of eyesight, he began feeling lonely. The sounds of nature resumed, and he sat alone in the grass, once again thinking about the events that led to this, and wondering if he would ever be free.


	2. Reflection

The next week was the longest of Bill’s life. Well, maybe he’s had longer, but this had to be very close. There were only so many times he could count every visible tree. With the way he was tilted he could somewhat see the stars at night, which was nice, but also got boring. Animals came and went, and he watched them while they were here, but then they were off again. For most of the time though, he only had his thoughts.

He was angry for a while. He ranted in his mind, targeting Axolotl, the Pines, his friends that abandoned him, the Pines again, especially Stanley, the various members of the zodiac, and whoever else he could think of to blame for his current state. That took up around a day. Then as the Sun set, his rage subsided and left him feeling hollow. Being angry was unproductive. And it didn’t even make him feel better.

He changed tactics, instead trying to find positives as the stars came out. He could plot his next move once he got out of this. He could ponder philosophical questions without being interrupted. He could enjoy nature, and stargaze. But the past billions of years have been so busy that this was strange to him. He couldn’t remember being so bored in ages. He almost wanted to sleep. But he couldn’t do that either.

He revisited various events throughout his long life as he watched the stars, and when morning came, he was briefly entertained by a pair of raccoons that got into a fight at the base of a nearby tree, shrieking at each other and rolling around, and he even started rooting for one. Then their fight led them away and out of sight, and he was disappointed. Oh well, back to thinking.

He was too proud to admit that he may have been wrong. He was doing exactly what needed to be done. This world was dull and he wanted to make it exciting and free humans from their oppression. And they did this to him. Ungrateful bastards. Next time, he would succeed. And they would thank him when they achieved enlightenment and could party alongside him for all eternity. Who wouldn’t want that? Surely they just misunderstood his goal. That had to be it. Humans could be so dreadfully narrow-minded.

He occupied himself with such internal dialogue as the days slowly passed, telling himself that he didn’t need any company, he was quite happy by himself. Even if those words fell flat. He was totally content, this was fine, yep.

But finally he heard human voices again, and he hated the eagerness that went through him. Really, he berated himself? He didn’t need them.

Still, he almost smiled when Dipper and Mabel approached him. Dipper carried a notebook and Mabel was holding a bucket.

“Still here, nothing has changed,” Dipper noted.

“He got some bird poop on his hat,” Mabel said.

 _What_?!

“I’ll take care of it.” She brought the bucket over and picked up a sponge, rubbing his hat.

Bill hadn’t even noticed any birds landing on him. Maybe it had flown over and just got a lucky hit. Or unlucky, for him.

Mabel worked on cleaning him off, and Dipper examined him for any more cracks, but apparently didn’t find anything. He was cautious as he moved around, watching Bill closely, but Bill knew by now he couldn’t move even if he wanted to. The kid was too paranoid.

When Dipper finished his checks, he backed off, but Mabel stayed where she was.

“Be careful,” Dipper said, hand on a gun. Bill wanted to laugh. So Ford was letting Dipper wander around with his weapons now? Cute.

“I trust him,” Mabel said.

_Big mistake, kid._

Mabel hummed as she rinsed the sponge off and then kept going, cleaning the rest of his hat.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t,” Dipper said. “Are you like, cleaning all of him?”

“Sure, why not? Might as well, I carried this heavy bucket all the way out here.”

Bill certainly wouldn’t mind looking a little better. Dipper sat down against a tree and took out a book, and Mabel sang some pop song as she worked. Bill didn’t care for the lyrics but her voice was nice. He missed singing.

After a couple minutes, Mabel started talking to Dipper about a project she was working on. Bill listened with interest. Apparently she wanted to draw as many supernatural creatures as she could this summer. Dipper offered to take her out on his trips to visit the ones he knew, and she agreed.

“Maybe I’ll even draw you, huh?” Mabel asked Bill, patting his front. “That’ll be easy.”

_Sure thing kid, I won’t really be able to pose for you though._

Mabel scrubbed his arm and hand clean, and stepped back to look him over.

“If you do draw him, make sure you cross out his eye,” Dipper advised.

_I can’t even see out of any of the many representations of myself all across the world, I checked, but whatever satisfies your paranoia, Pine Tree._

Mabel pursed her lips. “I don’t think that’s necessary. It’ll be in my sketchbook, he won’t be able to see anything unless it’s open to his page. Besides, I remember he had such a pretty eye, with those large eyelashes… I’m kinda jealous of that actually. You think he used mascara?”

_Ha! Not usually, but I do look good with it._

Dipper laughed. “Maybe. I don’t think I’d call his eye pretty though.”

“Eh. When he wasn’t mad, it was. He has a blue iris, you know. It’s hard to see but… yeah. Very pretty though.”

Bill was kinda flattered that she noticed.

“Huh, never paid attention. That’s cool though.”

Mabel finished cleaning and dumped the water out. “Alright Bill, I’m done. Ah, you look great!” She took out a phone, taking a picture of him. Then she turned it around so he could see.

Yeah, he was a statue, alright. But a very clean one, with some cracks but otherwise looking good. No wonder birds liked to nest on him.

“Alright, we should head out,” Dipper said.

“Aw, okay.” Mabel glanced at Bill, then patted his hand. “If you’re listening… I’ll see you soon. One more week, okay?”

He wanted to respond. Tell her that he appreciated her tending to him like that, but he couldn’t. So he silently said goodbye, and she joined Dipper and walked away with him, once again leaving him alone in his little glade. And he told himself again that he didn’t miss them.

 

The next time he was visited, it wasn’t by Mabel or Dipper, but by Ford. Disappointing, but Bill was still glad to see someone. He had spent the past week just ruminating on the more negative aspects of stone imprisonment and beginning to wish he was still unconscious. Being alone out here was torture.

Ford aimed his gun at him for a few moments, but when Bill didn’t move, he lowered it and walked over. “Guess you really can’t do anything.” He lightly kicked him a few times. It was annoying but didn’t hurt. “Mabel wanted me to tell you sorry but she just couldn’t turn down Candy’s sleepover invite. She’ll definitely come see you next week though. I don’t know why she’s apologizing to you, but Mabel is easily the kindest person I know. She really has hope that when you come out of there, if you ever do, you’ll be nicer.”

_How idealistic._

“Personally I don’t think you’re even alive anymore and I’m wasting my time talking to a rock.”

Bill wasn’t sure he was still alive either. This was probably some personalized hell where he would spend eternity. He wasn’t religious but it was certainly looking that way.

“Anyway. Just making sure you haven’t dug yourself free or anything.” Ford sat down in front of him and took out a thick journal that looked similar to his old ones, but newer. He began writing in it.

He didn’t talk, but Bill was content to listen to the scratching of his pen against the paper, recalling days spent in Ford’s lab over thirty years ago, as he inspired Ford to build the portal that eventually led to his freedom. Ford had admired him greatly back then, collected statues and draperies depicting him, even letting him possess him to give him some time out of the Mindscape and able to interact with reality. That had been fun. Bill missed having a physical form like that.

It was a nice day to be out. Bill figured it was warm, judging by how bright the sunlight was, though there was also a comfortable breeze. Yet Ford still wore a turtleneck sweater, pants, and a trench coat. What was wrong with him? Did he just think he looked cool? Actually, yeah, that was exactly the reason. Nerd.

Bill could tell from the way Ford was moving the pen now that he was drawing. He was intrigued. What was he drawing? Was it him?

After a few minutes, he got his answer. Ford placed his pen behind his ear, glanced at Bill, and said, “I figure I should keep an entry about you. You are part of the woods after all.” He turned the book around. Bill felt a flare of pride at seeing an exquisitely detailed rendering of himself. Okay, so it was his stone prison, but still, it looked fantastic. If he was out of it, he wouldn’t mind having a statue that looked like this stood up in the center of the town, or perhaps in Washington DC, or any other random geographical location that humans assign an arbitrary significance.

Ford sighed and closed the book. “You know, you did a lot of terrible things. I hope you realize that now, and that you feel sorry for them. If you ever return… I and a lot of people will be expecting an apology.”

_Fat chance, Sixer._

Ford tucked the book into one of his many pockets, and turned away. Wait, he was leaving already? But he just got here, and he had a lot to say to that last remark!

But Bill could do nothing but watch him leave, frustrated and unable to yell for him to come back. He struggled, fighting to move at all, to project his voice, to do _anything_ … And it was in vain. He didn’t budge. He remained silent.

When Ford disappeared into the trees, Bill swore in every language he knew, and screamed at Axolotl, and at every religious deity he could think of, feeling like he would shatter from the force of his rage.

And when he had exhausted himself, he was still there. Still couldn’t close his eye or sleep. Couldn’t cry. His body almost seemed to ache. He never wanted any of this. All he ever wanted… He didn’t even know what he wanted anymore. Freedom? He had that. He had been freer than anyone. And he lost it, and he was to blame.

He wanted happiness. He got that too, he supposed. Though it had been forced. A front put on for his friends. And they hadn’t even been his friends. Not really. They hung out with him because he was powerful. He protected them and they carried out his orders. That wasn’t really friendship. But he had told himself it was, and that he was happy. Hoping that maybe if he lied hard enough, it would stop being a lie.

His thoughts went to the parents he had lost a trillion years ago to a vicious fire he had created, and though he had meant at the time to kill everyone, he regretted it now and the memories of their screams still haunted him. He wished he could take it all back. His home had been awful but it was home, and he missed it. He missed his parents. He missed the triangles he had gone to school with and grown up with. He missed the three dimensional beings who had first taught him to harness his inner power… Who had subsequently been the first to die at his vengeful hands. Countless lives ended by his hatred… Many of whom had done nothing to deserve it. He... has done wrong, he conceded.

 _I’m sorry_ , he finally whispered to an uncaring void. _I’m so sorry._

As usual, he was answered with a cold indifference. He gave up, staring into the forest that had become so familiar to him. He really was a monster, and as the sky grew dark, he darkly wished he had burnt up and died right alongside the rest of his people.


	3. Company

Mabel was the next one who came to see Bill. She came alone, greeted him with a simple hi, and sat down in front of him with a sketchbook. He almost didn’t want to see her. He wanted to snap at her to leave him alone while he wallowed in self-loathing. But of course he couldn’t tell her that, so she had no idea how he felt.

“Candy has a dog now,” Mabel said. “I don’t know if you knew she didn’t before, but yeah, she does now. He’s so small and cute but he’s gonna get bigger.”

Bill could not care less. But it beat listening to birds.

“She named him Qwerty. Like the first few letters of a keyboard? That is such a cute name, I’d expect that kind of thing from Dipper really. Speaking of which, I tried hooking Dipper up on a date with her but neither of them were having it. She got over him last year and he’s being all weird about dating. Says he has better things to do. Sounds boring to me but whatever.” Mabel stretched out on the grass as she drew. Bill could tell she was drawing him. She had a tin of colored pencils laid out next to her too.

“Dipper thinks this is a waste of time,” she said. “Ford thinks he’s gonna go to only checking on you once a month.”

An icy feeling settled in Bill. Being alone with his thoughts for a week was bad enough. A full month might just drive him insane.

“But don’t worry,” Mabel said brightly. “I know being alone that long would suck. So I’m gonna keep visiting, even if no one else wants to, okay?”

He felt warmer at that. Ford was right, she was too kind. And he was thankful for it.

Mabel glanced at him a few times, but mostly seemed to be drawing from memory. She was quite focused. And once she finished her pencil sketching, she spent quite some time lining with a pen.

“Okay, almost done,” she said, hiding the art with her free hand. “Just a little more… Oh you’re gonna love it.”

Well, what else could he do but wait?

Then Mabel put her pen down and picked up an eraser, waiting for a few seconds before erasing all the pencil lines away. She held the drawing up for his approval. “Tada!”

Well, she was no Ford, but she certainly had talent. Bill examined the drawing of himself. It was kinda cartoonish, especially in the way she drew his eye, but he looked happy and expressive in it, as though leaping through the air, holding onto his hat with one hand and holding his cane in the other.

Really, it was a drawing he would love to have hanging up in his penthouse. Right over the bar.

“It’ll look nicer when I color it,” she said. “I feel I over exaggerated your eyelashes though.”

Bill thought they looked absolutely stunning. He wanted to tell her so. Maybe he would get to one day.

She smiled at him. “I wish you could talk. But you’d probably make fun of it, huh?”

_No, not at all, you have talent!_

She turned it back around and sat down again. She went over a few of the lines with the pen, then began coloring.

“I don’t know if you’re in there,” she said as she worked. “We have no way to tell for sure. But I don’t think anyone deserves to be abandoned. You may have done bad things but you’re still a person and you deserve to have someone who cares. So I’m gonna visit you, and chat with you a bit, so maybe you won’t be so lonely.”

Bill’s first reaction was one of disdain. He didn’t need to be visited, he was just fine by himself! But he just couldn’t lie to himself for long. He admitted that he liked having someone around. It comforted him, took his mind off those depressing thoughts of his past. So he did appreciate her. It was just weird for him to actually, truly enjoy someone’s company.

Mabel talked to him the whole time she was coloring. She told him what she and Dipper have been up to. About Soos and Melody running the Mystery Shack. How Ford and Stan had gotten a place further in town and spent most of the past year boating around the world before coming back here for summer. They brought back lots of souvenirs and stories.

The stories kept Bill engaged, and before he knew it, she was done coloring and turning the book back around.

She had colored his likeness with bold yellows, and the black sections of his arms and hat had a sort of blue highlighting to them that went very well with his iris. Blue flames filled the background, along with several different runes. They didn’t say anything in particular, but Bill recognized the ones for life, love, friendship, and other sappy concepts. He was impressed that she knew them and drew them accurately though.

“I think I went overboard on the blue but oh well! I like how I drew your bricks, this gold pencil is great! Do you like it?” She smiled at him, and if he could nod, he would have. “I hope you do. And I hope you get to return to being like this.” She looked at the paper herself, and closed the book, setting it aside and stepping forward to touch his front. “It has to suck, being like this. But I’m sure it won’t be forever. You’ll get your strength back, and well… I hope you do good things with it. You could do so many great things if you wanted. I just don’t want you to go back to hurting people. It isn’t right.”

_Right and wrong are subjective, Shooting Star._

“I know you probably don’t care. Ford told me you look at humans like humans look at dogs. We’re only good for helping you reach your goals. But well… Look where that got you. Humans stopped you. Humans left you like this. Guess you should show us some respect, huh?”

_Wow, you are wicked, Mabel._

She leaned down to gather up her stuff. “Something to think about. See ya, Bill.” She gave him a cursory dusting off, and then left. He was kinda impressed by her resolve. She made a good point. Humans were better than he thought.

 

For the rest of the summer, Mabel was Bill’s main visitor. She would bring books, and snacks, and just sit with him as she drew, or she would work on sweaters, or various other crafts. And she would tell him about her day to day activities in Gravity Falls. About her dating exploits, shopping trips with her friends, checking out paranormal stuff with Dipper and Ford, and whatever else she did. Bill usually got pretty invested in the stories. She was definitely having a good summer. Better than last year, since she was more prepared for the oddities of the town.

Sometimes Dipper stopped by. He was usually with Mabel, but sometimes she was busy and would insist he go instead, so Bill wouldn’t be lonely.

Unlike her, Dipper thought the statue was empty. But he would go and talk to Bill for a few minutes, make sure he hasn’t gotten any more moss on him, and then leave again. Bill gathered enough about what he was up to from the brief talks though. He was learning a lot from Ford, and investigating all sorts of places and creatures, documenting it all. He wanted to make a TV show one day about the subject. He even wanted Gravity Falls to get its own documentary. Bill thought that sounded neat, but good luck getting other humans to believe any of it.

Ford visited rarely, just to compare the cracks on his surface to the ones he had noted back when he first visited. Apparently there weren’t any significant changes though. Unsurprising. Bill hasn’t gotten any stronger. He still felt the same as when he first woke up weeks ago. He didn’t know if he’d ever get his power back. Axolotl still hasn’t spoken to him. Bill found it rather rude that it was ignoring him after he had called for it last year. But whatever. Its loss.

Stan visited near the end of summer, just to see where Bill was at. He didn’t have any fear of him, walking right up to look him over, and then commenting, “I’d punch you again but it’d probably hurt me this time.”

Bill wanted to roll his eye.

“He’s totally harmless now,” Mabel said, taking hold of Bill’s hand. “See? He can’t move or anything.”

“Is he even in there?” Stan squinted at Bill’s eye, adjusting his glasses. “This is just a statue, you know.”

“Yeah but Bill’s a weird supernatural thing, this could be him. Stuck in there, unable to move, but seeing and hearing all.”

“Well that’d suck.”

_No kidding._

“It’s no less than the isosceles jerk deserves though.”

_Excuse you, equilateral._

“Well, at least I know where he is now,” Stan said, straightening up. “Huh, we aren’t too far from the Shack. Think we could make him a tourist attraction?”

“That’d be up to Soos,” Mabel replied.

Bill seriously hoped they didn’t do that. He did not need a bunch of tourists getting their grubby hands all over him. And children were notoriously sticky. No thanks.

“I thought about digging him up and bringing him back so we can watch him more easily,” Ford said. “But I decided I don’t want him that close to the Shack. It’s better to leave him out here.”

If Bill was able to move, he could easily find where the Shack was from here. He already had a decent idea of how far away he was. He knew the forest inside and out and had determined his location ages ago.

“Oh yeah, and Soos will have to start looking after him pretty soon, huh?” Mabel asked. “Since Dipper and I have to leave after summer… and you guys are going on another trip.”

“We still have another month here,” Dipper said. “But yeah, it’ll be up to Soos once we’re gone.”

There was only a month left of summer? Bill hadn’t realized how much time had passed. It had gone quicker once Mabel started visiting him more regularly.

“I’m sure Soos will take good care of him,” Ford said.

The four only stayed for a few more minutes before leaving, and Bill began to wonder what he would do once the younger twins went back to California. That’ll be a lot of alone time. But maybe he could meditate, and try to regain his strength. It couldn’t just all be gone, right? He had been so powerful before. Surely it was still locked away inside him… he just had to retrieve it. Then he could try breaking free. And after that… he wasn’t sure. Getting revenge felt like a stale idea by now. It wouldn’t accomplish anything. Maybe he’ll just go somewhere else.

Bill looked forward to Mabel’s visits. She began telling him about her and Dipper’s preparations for their fourteenth birthday party. She spent a good hour with him one day, just her and Waddles, brainstorming ideas for what she could get Dipper. Personally, Bill would buy him a fancy watch, and some of those really pricey pens that can write on anything. Or a cool video game, or whatever the kids were into these days. Of course, a skull chalice encrusted with the receiver’s favorite gemstone was always in style. But humans never seemed to appreciate that last one.

Mabel eventually settled on buying him a jacket and covering it with personalized patches with all sorts of paranormal creatures on them. Bill liked the Mothman one she made. Speaking of which, her drawings of different creatures were amazing. She showed them all to him. Mothman, werewolves, griffins and hippogriffs, a dragon, gnomes, Manotaurs, unicorns, and some of the more unique Gravity Falls creatures like Leprecorns and those delightful plaid-patterned ducks. Sure, there were mistakes, but she was clearly improving with each drawing she showed him.

Mabel and Dipper came to see Bill on their birthday, bringing Soos and Melody with them. They introduced them, not that Bill needed an introduction, and Soos nervously took Bill’s hand.

“Nice to uh… see you again, dude,” Soos said.

Bill had nothing against Soos. He was a genuinely nice man who cared for almost everyone he met, much like Mabel. He could just be annoyingly dimwitted at times.

Melody was a newcomer to Gravity Falls but had moved over some time last year and was happily dating Soos. Mabel had told Bill about their plans to get married but they haven’t gotten around to it yet. They looked good together, though. Bill was glad Soos had found someone quirky and optimistic like him.

“So um, what do you want us to do with this statue, again?” Melody asked.

“It’s real simple,” Mabel assured her. “Just come by once a week or so and spend some time with him. Talk to him, read him stories, whatever. That way he doesn’t get lonely.”

“I know you mean well, but isn’t this the guy that nearly destroyed the town?” Melody looked unsure. “Why does it matter if he gets lonely?”

“I don’t want to just leave him alone out here. Solitary confinement doesn’t fix anything. What helps people is compassion! Understanding!” Mabel stood next to Bill, wrapping an arm around him. “Maybe what he’s needed all along is a friend! And not like his old ones, no, those guys were really bad for him. I mean a real friend, who actually cares about him, and wants him to be happy.”

There was that ache again. Bill wanted more than ever to be able to look away. But he couldn’t, and he saw Melody’s conflicted expression, and Soos’s understanding.

“We’ll do our best, little dude,” he said, patting Mabel’s shoulder. “He’s in good hands.”

“Thanks. Just… you know, make sure he doesn’t get all dirty, clean the moss off, and the bird nests, and stuff. And… oh, right!” Mabel was wearing a backpack, and now she took it off and rummaged through it. “Bill, I made a copy of that drawing I did of you. And no, it wasn’t made with Ford’s weird copier so it’s not going to come to life.”

 _Damn_.

“I just figured you might want it.” She held up a piece of paper within a sheet protector. Sure enough, it was the colorful drawing of him. She checked his line of sight, and then pinned it to a tree where he could see it. “There. And I taped it real good around all the edges and no water should be able to get in at all! I tested it by dunking it in the sink.” She stepped back, and looked around the area. She sighed. “You know? I think this place needs some sprucing up. I have some ideas, but… we’ll save that for next summer!” She walked back over to Bill, putting her backpack on and gazing at him. Then she said, “Maybe I’ll be able to visit over the winter. Just… I hope you’ll be okay.” She hugged him. He tried to respond, but still couldn’t.

Dipper walked over too, hesitated, and then patted Bill’s hat. “I’m not hugging you, but I hope our time with you this summer… you know, accomplished something. If you’re even aware of any of this. We might have just been talking to a rock this whole time.”

“Well, he’s one handsome rock, for sure,” Mabel laughed, pulling away.

_Aw, Mabel, you sure know how to flatter a guy._

“I’m sure he’ll be okay out here.” Dipper took her hand. “Now come on, Miss Fourteen Years Old. We gotta catch our bus back to Piedmont.”

“Yeah! See ya, Bill!” She waved at him as they headed out, and he watched their retreating backs for as long as he could, before they were gone. Nine months until they returned, he mused. Or maybe around five, if they come back for winter break. Still, that was going to be quite a wait, and he doubted Soos or Melody would entertain him as much.

But that was okay, he told himself, trying to be optimistic about it. He was used to his imprisonment. He could occupy himself until he saw them again. Absolutely.


	4. Winter

Soos did remember to visit, for a while. He showed up about a week after Dipper and Mabel had left, and told Bill that the Stan twins had gone off on their trip. Business for the Mystery Shack had slowed with tourist season over and Soos was about to close it until next summer, only opening it for special events like school field trips. They had enough savings to get by and Melody would help out by getting a temporary job.

“I’m thinking of proposing, dude,” Soos said as he paced. “But I don’t know how I want to do it. Do I get her a diamond? Girls like diamond rings, right? Oh but that’s so overdone and not to mention the diamond industry is a big scam anyway…”

_ That’s not the only industry that’s a scam but good on you for noticing. _

Soos rubbed his chin. “She really likes purple. Should I get her an amethyst instead? Something a little more personal, huh?”

_ You can’t go wrong with one of those beautiful dinosaur bone, meteorite, and gold rings. Sure it’s pricey but nothing proves you care like presenting your mate with animal parts and space debris! _

Soos paused, staring off into space. Then he exclaimed, “I should get her a dragon’s breath fire opal! With an obsidian band!”

Bill liked obsidian. It made him nostalgic. And fire opals were gorgeous. He was certainly in approval, not that Soos could tell.

“ If only you could talk,” Soos said to him. He had brought a rag, and finally got around to cleaning Bill off. “Fall is coming soon. It’s gonna get chilly. You’ll probably be okay though. Right?”

Bill wasn’t aware of temperature so yes.

“I hope so. That was quite a thunderstorm we got the other day, huh? You’ve got dirt all over you, I guess the wind was kicking it up. And lots of leaves.” Soos was thorough in wiping him off, and he stepped back to take a look at him. Then he shook his head. “I’m gonna go get more stuff.”

Bill was curious as he jogged away, but he soon came back with two buckets. One filled with clean water, the other with soapy water. He used a sponge to clean Bill off. Dirt ran down in streams, and Soos was diligent in his work.

“At least it’s coming off easily,” Soos said. He spent extra time at Bill’s base, where he was stuck in the ground. Then he was done, and poured the clean water all over him to rinse everything away.

Bill kinda wanted to see himself. But Soos didn’t offer a mirror or anything, instead just toweling him off.

“This is so more dirt doesn’t stick to you after I leave,” he explained.

_ Yeah, I never would have figured that one out. _

When Soos finished with that, he emptied the bucket of soapy water a good distance away, and gathered things up. “Well, good talking to you but I need to head back. I’ll tell you what I decide with Melody’s ring. See ya!”

Bill didn’t see him again for nearly two weeks. He apologized as soon as he came into view, claiming he hadn’t paid attention to the dates. Bill was a little resentful about that. But no harm done.

Soos played a video game on a handheld console during his visit, sitting next to him so Bill could see. It was a typical adventure RPG but he supposed it was interesting enough.

Soos and Melody both came to see him the next time, more bundled up now. It was getting windier and temperatures must be dropping. The leaves were changing.

They only talked for a bit, cleaning twigs out of Bill’s hand, and leaving again. The bird, which was a sort of dove, came back and rebuilt its nest. Bill couldn’t stop it. And then it ended up laying eggs, which stopped Soos and Melody from being able to remove them anymore. Really? Ridiculous humans and their biological hangups. There were millions more of these birds.

Then a substantial amount of time passed with no visitors at all. Leaves piled up around Bill. The bird spent more and more time in its nest. He watched as the trees shed their leaves, and listened as animals quieted down. It was peaceful, but boring. He spent most of his time meditating, drawing on his inner strength. If he focused enough, it seemed like he could almost feel his magic again… But he just couldn’t get it out. It was dormant. Like him.

He wanted friends, he admitted to himself now. He wanted to be talked to. Wanted to hear a voice that wasn’t his. He wanted to be able to move and wrap someone into a hug. These past months have made him rethink a lot about his life, and he was willing to change, if only he was free.

But he wasn’t freed. Not yet. If ever. He directed his gaze to the dull sky. Where was Soos? Or Melody? They were so late. It has to have been at least a month.

When he finally did see someone again, it was neither of them. It was a teenage girl with long red hair, who seemed to just be passing through, carrying a rifle. Then she did a double take, staring at him. “Bill?”

Bill recognized her. Wendy Corduroy. One of the zodiac members.

“ Huh. Soos said you were out here somewhere but I didn’t expect to find you.” She lowered her gun toward the ground as she approached him. “I’m out turkey hunting. Dad asked me to bag a big one, so… Yeah. Anyway, I guess I should let you know that Soos’s grandmother is in the hospital right now, so it may be a while before you see him again.”

That would explain the absence. Bill hoped she would be okay. Then again, she was fairly old. It could just be her time to die.

Wendy waited for a few moments, then said, “I don’t know why I’m talking to you. You’re a statue. And after what you did you deserve to be alone out here. I’m out of here.”

He couldn’t argue with that anymore. He did deserve this. But how long would it go on for? How long must he repent until he was released?

Wendy left, and Bill watched as the last few leaves dropped from the trees. There were evergreens all around, but the others were bare. Winter was in full swing. It had to be October. Or maybe it was November. But Soos wouldn’t forget him that long, right?

It rained, the clouds darkened the sky, and one day there was even a dusting of snow. The eggs hatched, and Bill was able to enjoy the peeping of baby birds for a while, the soft calls of the mother and her frequent visits to feed them. But soon enough the babies grew fluffy feathers, hopping out of the nest and learning to fly. And once the mother had seen all her chicks off, she left herself, leaving a mess of sticks behind. After only a few days of their leaving Bill found himself feeling depressed. This was dreadfully boring compared to how everything looked during summer. But at least his drawing was okay.

It was after another snowfall that Soos finally clambered through the trees, panting. He looked stressed, lines under his eyes. “Bill, there you are. Look dawg, I’m sorry it’s been so long. Abuelita just… She’s really sick and I’ve been having to take care of her, and now she’s in the hospital and… I just haven’t been thinking of you.”

Bill’s irritation at him subsided when he took in the tear lines under Soos’s eyes, how even now they seemed to glisten. Family was everything to a human. It made him think of his parents, and he felt homesick. He really was sympathetic toward the other.

“You probably don’t care. But that’s what’s happening.” Soos checked his phone. “Melody is at the hospital, I should go see if Abuelita is feeling better. Don’t worry if you don’t see me for a while. I’m probably just busy.” He waved as he walked away.

Bill didn’t see him again for quite some time. Frozen rain came down a few times. There was a fairly heavy snow. It covered him nearly up to his eye. He hardly ever saw animals now, and with nothing to look at, he retreated into his mind and just meditated. He felt like maybe some of his power was coming back. He couldn’t actually do anything with it, but still… He felt more substantial. More aware. And really, he was kinda content with this now.

It had to be the height of winter when he heard a voice calling for him. “Bill? Can you hear me?”

_Shooting Star? I hear you!_ He was happy to hear her voice. And soon he saw her, jogging through the snow, wearing a thick sweater and pants and a very fluffy scarf. She looked silly, and he inwardly laughed. But despite being cold, she was grinning, waving to him. Behind her came Dipper, just as bundled up. Those California kids had to be cold. Dipper’s nose was very red.

“There you are, all covered in snow!” Mabel laughed, skipping up to Bill. She got down in front of him, pushing the snow and leaves away from him, and cleaning him off. Luckily she was wearing gloves.

“Wow, it looks a lot different here during winter,” Dipper said, looking around. He gazed at the tree that had the drawing of Bill on it. “Well, at least that’s still intact.” He went to brush it off.

Bill wasn’t surprised that Mabel’s taping job was impeccable.

“First semester of eighth grade was great,” Mabel told Bill. “Just gotta get through the second, and then we’ll be high schoolers!”

“About time,” Dipper said.

“I took handbells and it was so much fun,” Mabel continued. “And next semester I’ll have art. Oh, and Dipper’s a nerd, he’s already taking Algebra I.”

“Hey, no reason to wait,” Dipper replied.

“But anyway, it’s been fun,” Mabel said. “I’m glad it’s winter though. We’re gonna celebrate Hanukkah with Grunkle Stan and Ford! They aren’t that religious and to be honest neither are we but it’s still tradition! It’ll be a lot of fun, I’m sorry you can’t come. I’ll think of you though. Maybe I’ll bring you some presents.”

“I have something in mind,” Dipper said. “But it’s a surprise.”

Dipper had something for him? It was probably going to be some kind of joke. But Mabel was likely being honest.

The twins stayed with Bill for a while, talking about the fall semester, telling him amusing stories about their classmates and Mabel’s ongoing rivalry with the members of the photography club. It wasn’t that she was being mean, but they were dismissive of her no matter what she did so she just messed with them all the time now. Bill found that relatable.

“Oh, and Dipper has a crush,” Mabel sang.

Dipper blushed. “No, I don’t…”

“And it’s someone other than Wendy!”

“Come on, that’s private.”

“Well you think it’s just a statue, so why do you care?”

“Maybe he’s not though! Bill don’t listen!”

Mabel smiled. “Okay, I won’t tell him. But you should.”

“I doubt he cares that I have a crush on someone. Ford said that he finds human emotions like love hilarious and unnecessary.”

Yeah, except love wasn’t the sole property of humans. Bill had known love a long time ago, as a child. It was only after he destroyed his dimension that he renounced it, shoving it away and refusing to let himself care about others. Caring was dependency and dependency was weak. He didn’t need it. Though… he did want it. What use was power if he was just going to be miserable with it?

Well, at any rate. Bill was interested in Dipper’s crush now for the sole reason that it was embarrassing him.

“I’m sure he doesn’t really think that,” Mabel said. “He’s gotta have some love, right? For someone? Anyone? At least for himself?”

_Heh,_ Bill thought bitterly. _Not in the slightest._

Dipper sighed and shuffled a bit, then said, “Well, I… guess I could talk about… Them.” Mabel waited. Dipper blushed, and kept going, “Okay, so there may be this guy in social studies who’s… cute.”

Guy? Oh, now Bill got it. Humans were ridiculous.

“ Tell me about his hair,” Mabel said.

“Oh man, it’s so thick and curly and it looks so soft and I just wanna touch it so bad.”

“How about the color?”

“R-red. He… has red hair.”

Mabel snorted. “And his eyes?”

“Blue. Sky blue, and so kind, I could just stare at them forever, they’re perfect. And he has freckles!”

Mabel giggled and looked at Bill as Dipper swallowed and stared down. “Another eighth grader at our school. Tobias. Dipper thinks he’s adorable.”

“C-come on, he’s not a puppy, he’s not adorable, he’s… I don’t know. Distinguished.”

Mabel snorted. “Distinguished.”

“Handsome. I don’t know, he looks cute.”

Mabel explained, “Yeah, Dipper’s kinda embarrassed about it. He freaked out when he realized he had a crush on a boy, but I told him there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I mean have you _seen_ boys?” She sighed dreamily.

Boys were pretty cute, Bill reckoned. But so were lots of things. Personally he enjoyed the aesthetics of the Eldritch beings beyond the edge of this universe, and they often said the same of him.

“So yeah, I don’t know, maybe I’ll… ask him out,” Dipper said.

Mabel gave his shoulder some punches. “If you need any advice just let me know!”

“I’m just kinda worried he’ll think I’m being weird.”

“Aw, come on. You and Tobias are really good friends. He won’t mind. I’ve had some of my friends ask me out and I think it’s flattering! Your friends should think you’re cute and dateable!”

“I don’t know…”

“Dipper Pines I _will_ get you hooked up with that boy or my name isn’t Mabel Pines!” Mabel announced triumphantly. Then she got very close to him and stage whispered, “But it is.”

He playfully pushed her back. “Alright, it’s not that big a deal. You get crushes too.”

“Yeah, but I wanna help you out with yours. Since you’ve given me so much help!” Mabel rubbed her arms. “Brr, is it getting colder? I want hot chocolate.”

“Hot chocolate sounds good,” Dipper said. They said goodbye, and Mabel practically dragged Dipper away.

_ Goodbye, kids. Hope you have fun. You deserve to far more than I. _


End file.
